Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs believes the club can get through this crisis

CONFIDENT: Ryan Giggs thinks United can get through their troubles if they show more consistency [GETTY]

But even someone as experienced and successful as Giggs admits he is baffled and shocked by the stunning decline of the champions this season.

There was a rare moment of cheer for United this week when David Moyes's men produced a stunning comeback to beat Olympiakos 3-0 and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

But the win hasn't done much to banish claims United are still a club in decline following a dramatic fall from grace this season.

Defeat to the Greek champions on Wednesday would have ended United's season and left them with nothing to play for in March for the first time in 25 years.

Moyes has won himself some breathing space for now, but huge doubts remain about his future as United boss.

The under-fire Scot faces a major rebuilding job in the summer by overhauling an ageing and under-performing squad - if he is still in a job that is.

United are in a state of flux and comparisons have been draw between this and the collapse of Liverpool's empire in the 1990s following two decades of success at Anfield.

Giggs reckons people are right to fear the worst and be worried about a repeat of the decline on Merseyside.

He said: "Well, you can see why people are saying that because we haven't produced it this season on a regular basis.

"I know from experience what these players are capable of, but a lot of them have been written off.

"I think there is a lot of quality within the dressing room and we showed it against Olympiakos, but we have to show it more consistently.

"We have just not been consistent enough and not produced football like we did against Olympiakos.

WE HAVEN'T BEEN CONSISTENT: Giggs admits the lack of consistency this season has really cost them this season [GETTY]

“I think there is a lot of quality within the dressing room and we showed it against Olympiakos, but we have to show it more consistently”

Ryan Giggs

"We are capable of it, so that's the disappointment. I see every day in training what the lads are capable of and they have not transferred that into the games and we need to do that."

United face the humiliation of producing the worst-ever defence of a Premier League title.

The fallen giants languish in seventh place, 18 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and will be desperate to avoid the record of Blackburn, who also finished seventh in 1996 - 21 points adrift of top spot.

Giggs, who was outstanding in the midweek win after being handed a shock recall by Moyes, admits he is baffled by the drop in performances by United this season.

But securing a place in the Champions League draw this morning could spark a revival in form throughout the squad, according to 40-year-old superstar.

He added: "It's not nice, obviously not doing well or as well as we have done in the past.

"But we still believe, and you still know that you have good players in the dressing room.

"You are sat next to quality players and I think you have seen a bit of that against Olympiakos.

"That will hopefully give us that lift and carry us on because we have had good results this year and probably not carried it on and that is what we need to do now.

"On Wednesday, I think the team had a mixture of a lot of things: pace, experience, power.

"That's what Manchester United is all about and we showed that. We showed what we are capable of."

United go into the quarter-final draw as 20-1 rank outsiders in what looks like being one of the strongest line-ups on record.

The likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain lie in wait but Patrice Evra insists United can upset the odds and go all the way to the final in Lisbon.

Evra, who will be suspended for the first leg of the quarter-final, said: "It's a tough competition but I think we showed Manchester United is still alive, even though we lost a few days ago against Liverpool.

"We have fought back. Now, let's see. We will take any team. When we play with that spirit we can do something big.

"It was really important to show the love for this shirt, the respect for this shirt. That's why I think we won - the spirit.

"Maybe some people will say I'm too old-school but I know when you have the Manchester United spirit you can make a difference and nothing is impossible."